The horsetail embroidery is a distinctive embroidery handicraft that uses horsetail as an important material and has been passed down by the Shui women for generations. Although no records can be found about its history, this handicraft has been inherited for thousand years and it is the quintessence of the wisdom of ancestors of the Shui people.
The embroidery method of a silk thread entwining pieces of horsetail hair to create different patterns is obviously advantageous in two points: first, the relatively strong horsetail hair can protect the patterns from deforming; second, horsetail hair is non-perishable and durable. What's more, horsetail may have constituents of oil which are good for maintaining the luster of surrounding silk threads.
Another peculiar feature of the horsetail embroidery is the thin copper ornaments that are shaped like ancient coins and have a diameter about the size of a soybean, starring the horsetail embroidery with the help of a red thread. Besides the ornamental function, copper is capable of exorcising evil spirits and ward off bad luck, as the Shui people believe. In the feudal society, copper served as a component of coins. In many dynasties, non-governmental copper casting was strictly prohibited, but copper ornaments still existed in the horsetail embroidery of the Shui minority.
It is a very complicated procedure to complete a horsetail embroidery item. An item thus produced presents a low-relief appearance with an abstract and exaggerated shape. The horsetail embroidery is chiefly used to make T-shaped bags for carrying babies on the back ("Dai Jie" in the Shui language), embroidered shoes ("Zhe Jie" in the Shui language) with an upward toe, corsets and pectoral plates for women, bonnets, pouches, protective casings for scabbards, and so on. Despite changes in times and environment, the modeling concept and stylized symbols of the horsetail embroidery have remained basically unchanged.
